The present invention relates to self propelled vehicles which are adapted to utilize wind power as a second source of energy for propulsion purposes.
The modern automobile, which is the main transportation device in our society, provides a vehicle that is relatively easy to operate, but one which is rapidly depleting the available petroleum energy sources of the world. Thus, there is a growing need for energy conserving transportation devices. The landsailer is a prime example of such a device, requiring only wind for its propulsion. A device such as this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,428, issued Apr. 16, 1974, to Amick. However, present landsailers of this character are unsuitable for general transportation use, becuase they require a favorable wind to move in a given direction, and require sailing skill for their operation. To overcome the inadequacies of the modern automobile and the landsailer, it would be desirable to combine their good features. But merely adding a conventional sail to the top of an automobile would not be very satisfactory. The sail would need to be trimmed for various wind conditions, it would tend to flap when the relative wind approached from straight ahead, and its efficiency would be less than that which can be obtained from rigid airfoils.
The rigid airfoil landsailer described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,428 could be used as a wind powered highway car, if fitted with an auxiliary propulsion means. However, it would still require sailing skill from the driver in adjusting the angle of attack of the airfoil system by means of the yaw control.
Thus, merely combining the features of a modern automobile with those of a landsailer would still fail to meet the needs for an energy conversing transportation device that provides ease of operation.